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Half-Life 2: Episode One PC, £19.99, or $19.95 (£10.70) as a download from www.steamgames.com; ages 16+

Do not be confused by the clumsy moniker — this is the first in a series of three new episodes that continue from where the majestic Half-Life 2 left off, with the same ingenious, physics-based puzzles and deeply satisfying firefights that made HL2 the top gun of 3-D shooters. You get only five hours of gameplay for your money — but what a sensational five hours! As the game’s scientist hero, Gordon Freeman, you must escape the wreckage of City 17 before the sinister Combine forces cause a catastrophe. This time, however, you are aided by an old colleague’s daughter, Alyx, whose presence lends Episode One a rich humanity that other games rarely aspire to, let alone match. This is a series that cares about its world and its characters. While you may be dazzled by